Two Special Days in Albufera.

Mid October saw some freak weather along the east coast of Spain and on the Balearic islands.  Intense rainfall caused quite severe flooding in places, resulting in many roads being underwater and a complete closure of schools and universities in Valencia for a day.

In terms of birdlife, this sudden deluge resulted in very high water levels at the region´s wetlands, meaning that many waders moved elsewhere to feed.  During these few days, despite the conditions, I was to enjoy two special days in Albufera – not just because of the birds, but largely due to the lovely people that I met.

The first trip was for Saffia and Andy from London.  Saffia had arranged the trip as a birthday gift for Andy, so I was hoping for some good sightings.  I really enjoyed the day with them, such interesting people with a passion for life, birds and travel.  This human side to guiding is exceptionally valueable, and provides for some wonderful experiences.

The first stop gave us views of Greater Flamingo, Black Redstart, Marsh Harrier and Stonechat.  We moved on to a coastal lagoon where we saw Black Necked Grebe, Little Ringed Plover and a male Sardinian Warbler before heading across the rice fields which held good numbers of Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egrets.

We made a sudden halt whilst driving through the park to get great views of a pale form Booted Eagle soaring right above us.  Once inside a restricted reserve area, we enjoyed views of Purple Swamphen, Whiskered Tern, Avocet and Red Crested Pochard.  Crag Martins were feeding overhead.

Despite the less than ideal conditions, we enjoyed a great day and for me it had been a real pleasure to do so with such good company.

The day after, I returned to Albufera.  This time with Alexia, a lady from Sweden who had taken up bird watching in recent months.  Although a relative newcomer to the hobby, she had clearly been out birding a lot and had already gathered a good deal of knowledge.  Her enthusiasm, keen eye, and interesting questions made it obvious that she would soon become a very good birder.

More than that, she was exceptionally good company and a pleasure to be with.  As many of the species would be new for Alexia, we decided upon a strategy of targetting the key species and getting quality views, rather than racing around to get a long tick list.

The first stop gave us Audouin´s Gull, Black Necked Grebe, Stonechat, Serin and Sardinian Warbler.  Yanina joined us for a while and spoke with Alexia about her recent visit to the Falsterbo Bird Fair in Sweden.  A short walk through the edge of the forest gave views of Blackcap and huge flocks of Starlings and Spotless Starlings.

We made a brief stop by the side of the Albufera Lake to check out some fishing poles upon which were perched Sandwich Terns, before moving across the rice fields where we enjoyed fabulous views of Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret.

A brief visit to a small nature reserve gave us views of one of our target species, Purple Swamphen.  We also heard Cetti´s Warbler and Water Rail.

The day ended at another spot close to the southern shore of the lake where we saw juvenile Black Terns, but the trip was brought to a splendid and rather fitting end with sightings of Bluethroat.

I very much look forward to hearing of Alexia´s future birding adventures and hope to welcome her back to Valencia soon.

 

Written by David Warrington.

Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.